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Turning Tech Integrates Clickers with IPAL Physics Questions

12/17/12

A clicker company has developed an application programming interface (API) that allows instructors to integrate in-class polling with freely available physics course material in their classrooms. Turning Technologies put together the API specifically for its ResponseCard line of student response devices. The API enables integration between the Turning clickers and "In-class Polling for All Learners" or IPAL.

IPAL is a free Moodle module that encourages in-class polling. Funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and administered by Educause, the project that created IPAL is also providing hundreds of ready-to-use peer-reviewed questions for an introductory physics course. The questions were made available by Harvard Professor Eric Mazur, who uses classroom response devices in his courses to gain greater student involvement. That content resides at ComPADRE, a National Science Digital Library for physics and astronomy educational resources. A database there allows others to add questions for additional courses or disciplines.

Previously, classes using IPAL materials were only able to include student responses if they had Web-enabled devices. "The integration with our clickers allows for polling in mixed environments and is a solution for students who are not equipped with Web-enabled devices or where infrastructure is not yet implemented," said Turning CEO Mike Broderick.